Faithful is the God by whom you were called into fellowship with his Son Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.

Is the Messiah divided? Paul wasn't crucified for you, was he? You weren't baptized in Paul's name, were you?

so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name.

Brothers, think about your own calling. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

My message and my preaching were not accompanied by clever, wise words, but by a display of the Spirit's power,

Now, we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we can understand the things that were freely given to us by God.

I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you weren't ready for it. And you're still not ready!

You already have all you want! You have already become rich! You have become kings without us! I wish you really were kings so that we could be kings with you!

Some of you have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to evaluate you.

Even though I am away from you physically, I am with you in spirit. I have already passed judgment on the man who did this, as though I were present with you.

That is what some of you were! But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah and by the Spirit of our God.

because you were bought for a price. Therefore, glorify God with your bodies.

Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let that bother you. Of course, if you have a chance to become free, take advantage of the opportunity.

You were bought for a price. Stop becoming slaves of people.

and those who mourn as though they did not mourn, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they did not own a thing,

and those who use the things in the world as though they were not dependent on them. For the world in its present form is passing away.

Now I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the fact that all of our ancestors who left Egypt were under the cloud. They all went through the sea,

and they all were immersed into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

But God wasn't pleased with most of those people, and so they were struck down in the wilderness.

Let's stop being idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to play."

Let's stop sinning sexually, as some of them were doing, and on a single day 23,000 fell dead.

Let's stop putting the Lord to the test, as some of them were doing, and were destroyed by snakes.

You must stop complaining, as some of them were doing, and were annihilated by the destroyer.

These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down as a warning for us in whom the culmination of the ages has been attained.

You know that when you were unbelievers, you were enticed and led astray to worship idols that couldn't even speak.

For by one Spirit all of us Jews and Greeks, slaves and free were baptized into one body and were all privileged to drink from one Spirit.

If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

Now if all of it were one part, there wouldn't be a body, would there?

and finally he was seen by me, as though I were born abnormally late.

Now I urge you, brothers for you know that the members of the family of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to serving the saints